Molding Excellence Manager

Silgan Dispensing Systems•Grandview, MO

10d

About The Position

The Molding Excellence Manager owns injection molding output, process control, and molded component quality across four value streams—TS800, PreFresh, Mixor, and Radar—in a 24/7, three-shift operation. This is a process and management role for a scientific molder who leads with data and develops the team. The position is accountable for validated process windows, capable processes, statistical discipline, and consistent performance rather than shift-to-shift preference. The role leads molding supervisors across all shifts, process technicians, and process engineers. Molding operators and material handlers report indirectly. The position owns molding Performance and Quality OEE; Availability, molding equipment maintenance, the injection mold tool room, and CNC machining are owned by the Molding Services & Tool Room Manager. The Molding Excellence Manager serves as the internal customer of that center under a documented service-level agreement and escalates priority conflicts to the Plant Manager using production-impact data. The manager owns and facilitates Tier 2a, attends PLT sessions for assigned value streams, and prepares and presents the molding section of Tier 3. The position requires at least 50% of working time on the production floor, supports a 24/7 operation, and requires availability across all three shifts, including periodic off-shift and weekend presence. Approximately 5% travel may be required. Leaders are expected to foster a safe work environment by implementing and upholding the company’s Safety & Health Vision, Mission, Values, and Safety Principles of Conduct. All employees are responsible for their own safety and that of coworkers, and share responsibility for environmental stewardship in accordance with the Environmental Policy. The role works in a general manufacturing plant environment with injection molding presses, auxiliary equipment, hydraulic systems, hot surfaces, and powered industrial trucks. Noise is usually moderate to loud, and personal protective equipment is required in designated areas.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Plastics, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and directly applicable scientific molding experience.
At least seven years of progressive injection molding experience in a high-volume, multi-cavity, multi-press environment.
At least three years leading salaried supervisors or engineers.
Demonstrated ownership of molding OEE and scrap, with a documented baseline, countermeasures applied, and measured results.
Experience in an ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified facility, including participation in third-party audits.
Experience in a 24/7 continuous operation with responsibility spanning all shifts.
Scientific or decoupled molding expertise, including rheology studies, cavity pressure and gate seal studies, cooling and cycle optimization, and development and validation of process windows; this is a screening requirement.
Ability to personally apply statistics, including control charts, capability studies, Cpk, measurement system understanding, and design of experiments.
Knowledge of mold construction, hot runner systems, and mold condition assessment sufficient to diagnose and substantiate whether a defect originates in the tool, machine, process, or material.
Knowledge of resin drying, purge discipline, regrind handling, and color changeover standard work.
Working use of A3, 5-Why, and fishbone problem-solving methods.
Ability to read and interpret safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, engineering drawings, mold and part prints, and process sheets.
Ability to write routine reports and corrective action responses and present data and recommendations to plant leadership, corporate leadership, customers, and auditors.
Ability to calculate and interpret OEE, cycle efficiency, scrap and yield rates, cost per thousand pieces, and statistical measures including mean, range, standard deviation, control limits, and capability indices.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, distinguish signal from noise, and withhold action when data does not support it.
Ability to work across all three shifts, including periodic off-shift and weekend presence.
Regular ability to stand, walk, talk, and hear; frequent use of hands to finger, handle, or feel; reaching; climbing or balancing; and sitting, bending, stooping, twisting, kneeling, squatting, or crawling.
Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, and color vision, which is essential for evaluating resin and color defects.

Nice To Haves

RJG Master Molder certification or equivalent scientific molding certification.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
Formal TPM implementation experience.
Packaging, dispensing, or closures molding experience.
Mold flow simulation experience.
Budget ownership experience.
Experience with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP.
Advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

Establish and enforce documented, scientifically developed and validated process windows for every mold, using methods such as rheology studies, cavity pressure and gate seal studies, cooling analysis, and cycle optimization.
Own process capability, perform capability studies on critical characteristics, drive Cpk toward target, and prevent release of processes that have not been demonstrated to be capable.
Maintain XmR control charts for designated critical process outputs, distinguish special causes from common causes, act on signals, and avoid unnecessary changes to stable processes.
Own design of experiments, process sheets, setup standards, change control, and color and resin performance in the process.
Own daily and weekly molding output against plan across all four value streams and maintain molded component coverage to Assembly.
Own the Performance and Quality components of Molding OEE; manage cycle time to standard and scrap separately.
Maintain current Hour-by-Hour boards with accurate downtime reason codes and actions taken within the hour.
Own molding scrap dollars, maintain a scrap Pareto by mold and defect code, and lead A3 root cause analysis on the most significant issues.
Build and present the weekly molding production plan, including press and mold assignments, resin and color requirements, and the overtime needed to execute it.
Serve as the internal customer of the Molding Services & Tool Room center under a documented service-level agreement.
Document mold and press defects with dimensional data, process data, and imagery; prioritize repair demand against production impact and dollarized capacity loss.
Verify mold condition and cavitation after service and formally accept or reject release; do not return molds to production on verbal approval.
Protect committed preventive maintenance windows in the production plan and own the production side of TPM, including Autonomous Maintenance task definition, training, and daily completion verification.
Lead through supervisors and process technicians; hold and document weekly one-on-ones with each direct report.
Develop scientific molding fundamentals, troubleshooting discipline, data literacy, cross-training, and knowledge capture across the team.
Own molding staffing across all shifts, attendance management, structured 90-day onboarding, and 90-day retention.
Spend at least 50% of working time on the production floor and participate in GEMBA.
Own the molding labor plan and overtime forecast and submit it to the Plant Manager for approval proactively.
Own resin yield and material loss, including purge, startup scrap, and regrind handling, as well as molding energy intensity per thousand pieces.
Support capital and cost-reduction proposals with a documented baseline, quantified benefit, and stated alternatives considered.
Own and facilitate Tier 2a, ensuring every issue leaves with an owner, an action, and a due date; deliver the structured daily molding data package to the Plant Manager as a direct output of Tier 2a.
Prepare and present the molding section of the Tier 3 review and attend PLT sessions for assigned value streams.
Maintain molding processes, records, and work instructions in conformance with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, and own molding-related corrective actions through evidenced closure.
Enforce lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and hot-surface safety requirements without exception.
Promote safety by following company and site policies, coaching to correct unsafe behaviors, attending employee safety meetings, and recognizing safe behaviors.
Follow all work rules and policies and perform other duties as assigned.